January 30, (THEWILL) – The race for the governorship position in Ekiti State is being narrowed down to the two major political parties in the state, the governing All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Both political parties have picked their standard bearers in the June 18, 2022 election.
The PDP, through an indirect primary election chose its former Chairman, Bisi Kolawole, as its governorship candidate, while the APC picked the immediate past Secretary to Ekiti State Government, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, as its candidate in the forthcoming election through direct primary.
The two candidates are also godsons of the incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi and a former governor of the state, Dr Ayodele Fayose. Oyebanji’s election had the backing of Fayemi, while Kolawole was supported by Fayose.
The governorship election in the state, scheduled for June 2022, will see the two political gladiators in Ekiti State, Fayemi and Fayose, engage in yet another battle for supremacy.
Fayose became the second governor of Ekiti on May 29, 2003, after defeating the incumbent, Niyi Adebayo, at the poll. Unfortunately he was impeached and removed from office on October 16, 2006 without completing his tenure. He contested the governorship election again in 2014 and won, defeating Fayemi who was at the helm. Thus, Fayose became the first politician to defeat two incumbent governors of a state. In 2018 he handed over to Fayemi who also won the governorship election after beating his deputy in the election.
In the last eight years, governorship elections in Ekiti have been a two-horse affair between Fayose and Fayemi, as well as their loyalists. The rivalry will once again rear its head in June this year when their godsons are locked in a battle for the soul of the state. Political analysts are also warming up to what they have described as the ‘mother of all battles’.
How the PDP Candidate Emerged
Eight aspirants, including former Governor Ayodele Fayose’s deputy and PDP candidate in the 2018 election, Prof Olusola Kolapo Eleka, participated in the indirect primary election that held in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital last Wednesday.
Others include former PDP National Treasurer, Wale Aribisala, as well as Bisi Kolawole, Kayode Adaramodu, Lateef Ajijola and Mrs Titilayo Owolabi-Akerele.
Before the commencement of the exercise, one of the key aspirants, Senator Abiodun Olujimi, withdrew from the race.
Olujimi, who is currently representing Ekiti South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, cited gender bias and an unfair resolution of matters arising from a lingering controversial congress of the party as the reason for withdrawing from the primary. According to her, the list that was to be used for the primary put her at a disadvantage as her local government is left with only 12 delegates as decided by the party leadership.
The delegates initially converged on the Pastoral Centre in Ado Ekiti to get accredited, but they were later moved to Great Eagle Hall for the voting exercise.
The results of the voting exercise supervised by Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State returned Kolawole as the winner with 671 votes.
Other aspirants, Kayode Adaramodu-10; Kazeem Ayodeji- 6; Olusola Kolapo Eleka- 93; Deborah Ali-1; Ojo -1; Makanjuola- 1; Biodun Olujimi -2; Aderemi Adewumi- 1; Adewale Aribisala – 56 and Segun Oni-330 votes.
In his acceptance speech, Kolawole, who is also a former commissioner in the state said, “It is God’s design to make me the winner of this election. I want to willingly accept it. The result has been very clear, the process has been very clear, credible and it makes everybody happy.
Reacting, Oni said, “We are going to fight together to make him (Kolawole) governor. We are satisfied with the process and no one is complaining. You saw it all here.”
Meanwhile, Fayose, last week Thursday urged Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to help drum up support for the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State in order to enhance its chances of winning the June 18 governorship election.
Fayose, who lauded Makinde for the level-playing field and positive disposition to last Week’s Wednesday’s Ekiti PDP governorship primary, also praised all PDP members and supporters in the state, especially the aspirants, for the peaceful manner the primary election was conducted.
The former governor, in a statement titled, ‘Fayose applauds Makinde, Oni, others over Ekiti PDP primary’, in Ado Ekiti, said, “By ensuring a level playing ground before and during the primary election, Governor Makinde has further earned my respect.
Fayose also saluted former governor Segun Oni, for his exemplary display of the spirit of sportsmanship, saying, “Whatever happened before and during the primary should be allowed to slide as no group can win the election alone.
“Going forward, all stakeholders should be rest assured of their rightful place in the new arrangement.”
How APC’s Candidate Emerged
The Chairman, APC Governorship Primary Electoral Committee for Ekiti and Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru, who declared Oyebanji winner of the primary election, said the former SSG scored 101,703 votes to defeat other aspirants.
Badaru announced that former governorship aspirant, Kayode Ojo got 767 votes; National Assembly member, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele had 760 votes; former Minister of Works, Senator Dayo Adeyeye secured 691votes; House of Representatives member, Femi Bamisile scored 400 votes.
Others are former House of Representatives member, Bamidele Faparusi, who polled 376 votes; aviation expert, Demola Popoola got 239 votes; and Oluwasola Afolabi scored 47 votes.
Badaru, who claimed that the election followed the party’s guidelines, said he had not received any official complaint from any aspirant.
However, earlier on the day of the primary, seven of the eight governorship aspirants protested the list of local government electoral committees for the exercise, saying it contained the names of supporters of an aspirant, Oyebanji.
The aggrieved aspirants – Bamidele; Adeyeye; Bamisile; Faparusi; Ojo; Popoola; and Afolabi, alongside their supporters stormed the state APC secretariat where they called on the party’s national leadership and the Badaru-led committee to suspend the primary.
They stated, “We request that both the Local Government Election Committee and Ward Election Committee, as constituted on the list already in circulation, be disbanded and replaced with names that would reinforce internal democracy and uphold the aims and objectives of the party”.
The aggrieved aspirants took their grievances to the state headquarters of the Nigeria Police, the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Department of State Services.
However, Oyebanji described the primary as credible, free and fair, contrary to the position maintained by his co-contestants, who described the poll as a sham.
He said the APC appeal panel would handle any controversial issue surrounding the conduct of the election.
Also speaking in an interview last Friday, Oyebanji said he had started reaching out to some of the aggrieved aspirants and promised that in the coming days all issues related to the primary would be amicably resolved.
“The party will resolve issues in the interest of the state and the party. The APC governorship primary was credible, free and fair. We will embark on reconciliation. It is a family issue and it will be resolved,” he said.
Oyebanji, who was the personal assistant and later Chief of Staff to Otunba Niyi Adebayo while in government between 1999 and 2003, has put in 11 years in the service of Ekiti State, having served as a commissioner during Fayemi’s first term and later as Secretary to the State Government.
He said the experience he gained while serving under the two governors in has put him in good stead to govern Ekiti well, if elected as governor in June 2022.
“I am very sure members of our party, our leaders are very happy because we have promised that once the process is very open and fair to all, we will all accept the result. It has pleased God to make me the winner of the election, I willingly accept to be the flagbearer of our great party.”
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
